Next Club Meeting

Our normal public meeting place for our general meeting is the Bass Pro in Pearl, and we meet on the 2nd Thursday of the month, 6:30 PM; the next meeting is January 8th, 2026. We will have Susan Brooks of Casting for Recovery as our speaker on January 8th. To find out more about Susan please just go to page 15 of the GCC’s newsletter, The Gulf Streamer where she was in the “Member Spotlight”. Susan is also our club’s newest member so let’s all be there to welcome her to the club!

There will be no fly tying meetings in November and December due to conflicts with holidays.

In January, we will continue to meet for fly tying the 4th Thursday (Jan 22) in Richland at the Senior Center, 371 Scarbrough across from the Richland library. 

The Winter 2025 issue of The Gulf Streamer, which includes a mention of our club and an article on one of my favorite guides, Rich Waldner as well as “Wild Bill” Hancock, a coastal guide that gave our club a program last year. The newsletter can be accessed online here: CLICK HERE

On February 12th our speaker will be Ken Holmes, from Louisiana. Ken is an accomplished fly fisher and is particularly known for his expertise in fly fishing for gar which has become “a bit of an obsession” for him. Gar make for great sight casting and some consider it to be the “freshwater tarpon”.

(Updated 12.16.2025)

EVENTS

Magnolia Fly Fishers Fall Trout Trip

Fall Trout Trip – 11/7/2025 – 11/10/2025

Our fall trip to Arkansas on the Northfork and White Rivers has been scheduled.  It will be at the typical location of Gene’s Trout Resort on the Northfork River.  We have the typical cabins of #21 and #22.  Cost is $190 which includes three nights lodging (Friday, Saturday & Sunday)  and meals for Saturday – Monday breakfast.  While no guarantee, if we have a volunteer to cook on Friday, we will have something easy to prepare and for people to eat as they arrive such as gumbo, red beans and rice, chili, etc.  This will be decided last minute depending on volunteer availability.

I need to get a preliminary interest list started.  If you are interested, send me an email at ecasteel3@yahoo.com and let me know how many.  At this point it is an interest list only, not a commitment.  I will get a firm head count October 1st.  If you have never been on the club trip to Arkansas and need additional information, give me a call or email me.

If you want to rent a boat, Gene’s rents them for $135 / day +$4 fuel charge.  A day is considered 7 am – 5:30 pm.  If you want a boat you will need to call Gene’s and make your own arrangements including payment.

Thank you.

Ed

The Spring 2025 issue of The Gulf Streamer is out now! It can be accessed online here:
CLICK HERE

Minutes from September 12, 2024 meeting

Norm M. , our favorite rod builder, once again did a great job presenting information on rods. Using a jig provided by Ed, Norm secured a 9 foot rod and then suspended pennies from the tip until it reached a bend equal to one-third of its length. Norm then weighed the pennies and divided by the weight of the pennies and produced the weight of the fly rod, demonstrating how flyrod weights are determined. Norm was using info from a man named Dr. William Hanneman. The web site https://common-cents.info/ explains the process in depth. It was all very interesting and Norm did a great job of presenting and answering our questions.

Greg had these items of business:

• Christmas Party – Dec 5 at the restaurant we used last year, at the time it was named McClain’s but I understand it has new management. More info will be forthcoming but please make a note of the date.
• We had four guests, Ryan Kelly, Ronny Robertson, Cliff Kent and Scott Williams.
• Last minute details of the Fall trout trip were presented by Ed.
• The October meeting will be missing the members that are on the trip but Mark has a program for us. Stay tuned for details.
• Steve gave us an update on Joel. He has graduated from boot camp in one piece and is soon to begin training in his chosen discipline.
• Bickham gave us a re-cap of his Alaska trip

Minutes from February 8, 2024 meeting

We had a great meeting Thursday night. Our speaker, Kenny Prince, did a great job. Kenny also does nuisance animal work and Mark has had him do work at his subdivision’s lake. Several folks bought his book, A Poacher’s Nightmare. 

We had some club business, we talked about raising the dues because the covid years drained us because we waived membership fees during that period.  It takes a thousand  bucks to pay the clubs annual expenses, which are FFI dues, insurance and ganza booth. The club has around $1,500 and dues will be due at starting at the March meeting. The club directors elected not to raise dues but try some other fund raising events. I expect we will start the year with a raffle of some kind. 

The club owns a sweet rod which I suspect could be a raffle or auctioned off. 

Ed also asked that everyone be prompt with their payment this year which will help with revenue and will help him some too in number of trips to the bank.

The club trout trip is full now, no more no slots available.

Roger Pearson was back after a long ordeal after his fall. He was looking great and full of vim, vinegar and vitality.

I did not make a photo to get the attendance but the meeting was well attended.

Minutes from September 14, 2023 meeting.

At out September 14 regular meeting at Bass Pro, we had quite a crowd.  I remember seeing of course our directors, Steve D, Greg S. and Ed C. as well as Jim D., Chuck W., Pat M., Mark P., Bickham F., Read J., Tommy S., Sarah M., Bill R., John T., Steve W., Charles C., and I am sure there a few that I just can’t recall.

Steve opened the meeting and introduced visitors and new members as well as our speaker:

Mike Boleware – our speaker 

Craig J.

Larkin S.

Aaron J.

Steve mentioned how pleased we all were with the Extravaganza as a whole and our club participation.  Steve also was very thankful for Orvis having our August meeting and Meredith taking such good care of us as she always does.

I have attached a new club roster recently updated by Ed .

We have a Fall trout trip, as I understand it is past the drop dead date for using the club accommodations, but that doesn’t prevent anyone from booking their own and meeting up.  Contact Ed for information on where the club is staying and the dates.

Steve mentioned that a new logo may be in the works, designed by Greg’s daughter Savannah.

Mike Boleware’s program was about his pursuit of an IGFA All Tackle record in length by Fly for white crappie as well as state records for fly.  The whole process of his pursuit was very entertaining.  I have to give it to Mike, he had a vision and did what it took to bring it to fruition.  From getting the idea by fishing with electronics pursuing the big crappie in open water at shallow depths, realizing that a fly rod would be suited to the application and then doing the research down to the point where he bought a beginner fly fishing setup and took it on the lake.  Look to see more records from Mike in the future, black crappie being the next on his list.

Greg Smith gave an update on Roger who is doing better, sitting up and “looking forward to football season”.

A large group made it out to dinner for the “meeting after the meeting”.

Sorry for the poor job of minute taking, sometimes I forget to make notes.

We need to be thinking about where we want to have our Christmas party!

 

Thanks,

Glen

Minutes from June 8, 2023 Meeting

Magnolia Fly Fishers,

We had another good turnout out.  For our program, Steve had several great videos for us to watch. We passed around a sign-up sheet for working at the Extravaganza July 28-30 and there were still quite a few slots that need filling, but we usually get our act together closer to the date. Albert had a bag of moose hair that a taxidermist donated and left it for us, everyone that wanted some could grab as much as they wanted. I like moose hair for stone fly antennae, mayfly tails, irresistible tails, mayfly bodies and I am sure there are other uses as well, so I helped myself. Thanks Albert!

I saw in attendance: Jim D., Chuck W., Bickham, Read, Roger P. and Ineke, Greg S., Charles C., Bill H., Bill R., Dusty M., John T., myself Glen D. and president Steve D. Rusty and Penny were in Oregon fishing and will have some pics for us soon.

We also had a visitor Alex K. who is interested in doing some local fishing so keep him in mind if you need a a buddy or just want to introduce someone new to fishing. I have Alex’s phone number if you want to contact him.

Our next tying meeting will be June 22 in Richland. Speaking for myself, I will be tying tarpon and redfish flies for my trip the following week. If anyone has any specific fly tying program ideas please let Greg or Steve know.

Thanks,

Glen